shipboard

American  

[ship-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈʃɪpˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

1. Archaic.

   1. the deck or side of a ship.

   2. the situation of being on a ship.

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adjective

1. done, conducted, or designed for use aboard ship, especially during an ocean voyage.

   a shipboard romance; a shipboard telephone.

idioms

1. on shipboard, aboard a seagoing vessel.

shipboard British  

/ ˈʃɪpˌbɔːd /

noun

1. (modifier) taking place, used, or intended for use aboard a ship

   a shipboard encounter

2. on board a ship

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Etymology

Origin of shipboard

First recorded in 1150–1200; late Middle English shipbord; replacing Middle English shipesbord; see ship ¹, board,

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shipboard

The Congressional Research Service estimated that shipboard, solid-state lasers can fire at a marginal cost between $1 and $10 per shot.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

An executive order from President Trump and proposed bipartisan legislation aim to resurrect America’s maritime industry across shipbuilding, ship ownership and shipboard staffing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025

After illegally emigrating to the United States as a shipboard stowaway, the Colonel adopted the name Tom Parker, eventually finding work as a promoter with a traveling carnival.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2025

He learned of the atomic attack on Hiroshima from a shipboard broadcast.

From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2025

Among us scratches and lumbers Vishnoo, the shipboard tortoise kept so that he might dispose of the roaches that hang on the beams and scuttle into the straw of our mattresses.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson